Via The Westin St. Francis
(335 Powell St. // Union Square)
Back in 1904, this hotel opened up as The St. Francis, and it's famous for a few high-profile deaths that happened right on the premises. In 1921, Virginia Rappe, a young Hollywood actress, was allegedly assaulted by the silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and she later died in the hospital. Now, guests swear they see her ghost wandering the halls, tearing her hair out and seeking revenge. Another frequently spotted ghost is Al Jolson, who tragically died during a late-night poker game. He can often be seen still at the card table, totally absorbed in the game. This Halloween season you can experience a night at The Westin St. Francis’ Haunted Suite and an immersive Murder Mystery Dinner that ties in the hotel’s chilling history.
Via Port Costa
(East Bay)
This town on the East Bay shoreline was once a bustling port town in the early 1900s. Port Costa is now home to antique shops, several restaurants, an old school, and the Burlington Hotel. Visitors and locals have reported seeing spirits wandering the hotel and the local bar, Warehouse Cafe. Allegedly, one bartender even interacted with ghosts, mistaking them for customers. One of these spirits is believed to be Bill Rich, who purchased all the town's buildings in the 1960s. Perhaps the best way to determine if spirits still roam Port Costa is to experience it for yourself...
(777 Valencia St // Mission)
Originally built in 1914 as a mortuary, The Chapel has been renovated into one of the Bay's best venues for live music, but it's possible some spirits still linger. In 2015, eerie security camera footage caught what looks to be a little girl running around in the venue after the night janitor locks the doors. Sightings and rumors about the little girl's spirit persist to this day, so if you're heading to The Chapel, expect some great tunes and watch your back for ghosts.
Via Winchester Mystery House
(525 S Winchester Blvd // San Jose)
This historic landmark was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. The Victorian mansion boasts 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 47 stairways and fireplaces, 13 bathrooms, and six kitchens — plus creepy architectural features like a "door to nowhere" and the "Witch's Cap." Some say the wacky house was constructed to appease spirits, and visitors and employees continue to report paranormal sightings.
Via USS Hornet
(707 W Hornet Ave // Alameda)
Notoriously the most haunted ship in history, the spooky USS Hornet is berthed at the decommissioned Alameda Naval Base. She became the eighth ship to bear the name, commissioned in 1943 during the Pacific War. In 27 years of active service, more than 300 lives were lost aboard the ship; the majority during combat, some from horrendous shipboard accidents. Crew and visitors alike have reported strange happenings like Navy ghost sightings, flashlights turning on by themselves, objects moving on their own, and disappearing bloodstains.
Via Wikimedia Commons
This tourist trap has some terrifying tales to tell! Alcatraz Island is home to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, a former high-security federal prison. The prison held some of America's most ruthless criminals, including Al Capone, Robert Stroud (The "Birdman"), and George "Machine Gun" Kelly. From phantom figure sightings to eerie whispering in empty cells, the uncanny prison has it all.
(3 Fort Mason // Fort Mason)
The Haskell House originally belonged to Leonidas Haskell, who was close friends with U.S. Senator David C. Broderick, an outspoken opponent of slavery. When Broderick lost a duel with California Chief Justice David S. Terry in 1859, he was brought to the Haskell House, where he died. Once the house was confiscated by the Union Army and turned into officers' quarters during the Civil War, soldiers reported paranormal happenings like shadows moving and feeling watched by an unseen presence. Maybe Broderick's ghost is to blame?
Via Wikimedia Commons
(2090 Jackson St // Pacific Heights)
This massive 30-room mansion was built in 1896 by financier William Franklin Whittier. Whittier lived in the mansion with his son, Billy — a notorious party boy — until his death in 1917. Some say the spirit of Billy Whittier haunts the wine cellar, extending his hard partying lifestyle into the afterlife; some say William F. Whittier's spirit that continues to haunt the mansion he built and died in; others mention apparitions of a butler and a creepy old lady. Our conclusion? You don't want to end up alone in the mansion at night!
Via Town of Colma
Known as the "City of the Silent" or the "City of Souls," Colma's population of the dead outnumbers the living by over a thousand to one. The necropolis acts as a very permanent home for around 1.5 million souls across 17 cemeteries. Some of Colma's dead residents include Levi Strauss, Joe DiMaggio, Charles de Young, Bill Graham, and William Randolph Hearst. Needless to say, Colma is the perfect place to go ghost hunting.
Via Moss Beach Distillery
(140 Beach Way // Moss Beach)
Built back in 1927, Moss Beach Distillery is a popular bar that attracts many visitors — including one apparent regular, "The Blue Lady." Legend has it that some 70 years ago, a woman in blue fell in love with a devilishly charming piano player at the bar. Though the "Blue Lady" was married, she struck up an illicit affair with the piano player. One night, the forbidden couple were attacked while taking a stroll on the beach adjacent to the bar, and the woman was killed. Since then, many strange events have been reported: unexplained phone calls, doors mysteriously locking, and objects levitating. Perhaps this is the "Blue Lady," haunting the distillery in search of her lover.
Via Wikimedia Commons
(800 Chestnut St // Russian Hill)
There’s no shortage of weird theories about the spirits of the San Francisco Art Institute. Rumor has it the building sits on top of a former burial ground, and the restless spirits continue to linger. Footsteps, shrieks, and other ghostly noises have been heard in SFAI's watchtower for decades. Apparently, when the tower was being remodeled in 1968, workers claimed an "evil presence" was looming over their lives, causing incidents like health scares and auto accidents. The school is now closed, but the building (and maybe its ghostly residents) is still around.
Via Nob Hill Inn
(1000 Pine St // Nob Hill)
Built in 1907 atop the ruins of a burnt-down structure, the Nob Hill Inn still retains a turn-of-the-century charm, with vintage furnishings (and perhaps ghostly residents?) plucked straight from the past. It's reported that there are about 22 entities living in the inn, and these friendly spirits like playing pranks on guests — moving their belongings, knocking on doors, stealing toiletries, or messing with the lights. When you check in here, expect a memorable stay!
Via Wikimedia Commons
(2220 Sacramento St // Nob Hill)
This mansion is steeped in colorful local lore. According to the legend, the house was built for Richard Craig Chambers and was inherited by two of his nieces when he died. The two nieces hated each other, and one of them built the house next door to escape from the other, Claudia Chambers, who eventually was found sawed in half in an alleged "farm implementation accident" (or maybe murdered by an aggrieved family member). It's said that Claudia's spirit still haunts the halls of the mansion, and that visitors can glimpse her spectral silhouette in the mansion's windows.
Via Wikimedia Commons
(Lombard St // Russian Hill)
At the bottom of the infamously twisty Lombard Street lies the former home of columnist Pat Montandon, who, though she literally wrote a book on throwing parties, was cursed while hosting one. In 1968, Montandon was throwing an astrology-themed party, complete with a palmists, a crystal ball-gazer, a tarot card reader, and more. When Montandon forgot to bring the tarot reader a drink, he reportedly cursed Montandon and her house. Paranormal happenings like persistent cold spells, locked doors, screams, and blood-like stains subsequently plagued the house, eventually culminating in Montandon's friend's death inside the house in a mysterious fire. The house sold in 2019 and is supposedly quiet today (but we still wouldn't like to visit alone).
Via Mike Hofmann/Wikimedia Commons
(1990 California St // Nob Hill)
In 1887, George Atherton left on a journey for Chile and came back in a rum barrel — or, more accurately, his corpse did. He died on the ship, and the crew didn't have many options in terms of storage. As the story goes, one morning, George's family discovered the rum barrel with George's body inside it on the doorstep of Atherton House. They would later move out after George's ghost terrorized them with cold spots, disembodied knocks, and other creepy incidents.
